Writing a letter to the editor of a newspaper is a great way to initiate public comment or to keep a topic running and generate new ideas. The letters page is often the most read part of a newspaper.

Politicians know that for every letter they receive there are at least another 1,000 voters who feel the same. In lobbying them, the idea is to take up their time and head space - get them working for you.

Addresses for major newspapers and world leaders are also listed below.

Letter writing tips:

• Keep it less than 200 words and use short sentences
• Write in the body of an email (no attachments)
• Respond by 1pm on the day of the issue arising, and/or respond to a recent letter or article, quoting its title and date, eg: "In support of comments made ('Treaty to Ban Nuclear Weapons', 4/6/08)..."
• Offer solutions, examples or pose questions to provoke a response - you don't need to be an expert
• Address each newspaper/publication separately (not a group email)
• If relevant, Cc (carbon copy) to your member of parliament to call for and provoke a public response
• For politicians, ask specific questions and always request a response, eg: "I look forward to your response."
• Always check spelling and grammar before sending
• Always supply a full name, address and daytime contact phone number for verification

Contact us if you'd like other ideas or to share your published letters. Feel free to promote ican or www.icanw.org in your letters.

World leaders

President Barack Obama
President of the United States of America
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington DC, USA
Fax: (+1) 202-456-2461
Email (no attachments): comments@whitehouse.gov
Vice-President: vice_president@whitehouse.gov

Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev
President of the Russian Federation
Ilinka Str, No 23
103132, Moscow, Russia
(All letters, appeals, questions, requests are sent to a special directorate in the Presidential Executive Office - Presidential Directorate for Communication and Public Feedback. This directorate examines, processes and analyses all the correspondence. Each week the President receives a report on the issues raised.)

The Hon. Kevin Rudd MP
Prime Minister of Australia
PO Box 6022
House of Representatives
Parliament House
Canberra, ACT, 2600
Fax: (+612) 6273 4100

"Dear Mr Obama,

I was wanting to know if you could put a stop to Nuclear Bombs because one day maybe an accident will occur and might destroy the world."

- Elina of Tucker Road Primary School, Australia.

Major newspapers (email)

The New York Times (US)

The Washington Times (US)

The LA Times (US)

The Guardian (UK)

The London Evening Standard (UK)

The Daily Telegraph (UK)

The Times (UK)

The Sunday Times (UK)

The Sydney Morning Herald (Australia)

The Age (Australia)

The Australian (national)